Compressor discharge valve



May 7, 1935. L L COLLINS 2,000,691 v COMPRESSQR 'DI SCHARGE .VALVE A TTORNE Y.

May 7, 1935- l.. l.. COLLINS. 2,000,691

COMPRESSOR DISCHARGE AVALVE Filed April 2, 1931 2 SheeLSSheOrl 2 @5.4 Eig.:

m E m gulf I f 1 r j Y l N VEN TOR.

ATTORNEY.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE COMPRESSOR DISCHARGE VALVE Lester L. Collins, Franklin, Pa., assigner to Chicago Pneumatic Tool Company, New York, N. Y., a. corporation of New Jersey Application April 2, 1931, Serial No. 527,218

4 Claims. (Cl. 277-60) This invention relates to valves and more par- Fig. 1, the valve assembly comprises a seat memticularly to valves of the disk or plate type for ber A having openings therethrough for the pascontrolling the discharge of air and gas com- 'sage of the compressed medium and one or more pressors. valves V of the plate or disk type covering such 5 As is Well known most valves of the disk or openings. Valves V are yieldingly maintained 5 plate type utilize a series of relatively small upon their seats by a series of springs S prosprings for yieldingly restoring and maintaining jecting from lbores in a keeper B secured to seat the valve plates on their seats. When such valves member A over valves V in any suitable or deare used to control the discharge of high speed sired manner as by a post or stud C on seat memcompressors, diihculties are encountered due to ber A eXtending through a Central bore in keeper 10 the inability of the springs to retain their ten- B, the parts being maintained in assembled relasion when subjected to the high heat of the distion by a retainer member such as a Cotter pin charged gases. D. The valve assembly is disclosed in Fig. 1 in One object of the invention is to provide an normal operative position in a oompreSSOr Cylimproved design of discharge valve for high speed inder, the latter and assoeiated parts being in- 15 compressors. Another object is to secure normal dioated in broken Outline. x operation of the valve under conditions of ex- In order t0 maintain the operation of the Valve treme heat. Another object is to eliminate the at normal eflioienoy, Springs S must be liroteeted Collapsing 0r setting of springs in valves of from loss of tension or from taking a permanent 20 the described type. Still other objects will be Set by reason of the heat of the disoharge. 20

apparent from the detailed description which foi- Study and experimentation indicates that spring lows. failure develops in most cases in that part of 'I'he invention involves suitable means or structhe spring having the greatest exposure .t0 the ture for rendering the operating springs for the heat 0f the disohargey namely the portion in the valve members or plates immune from injury and Spaoe between keeper B and seat member A. The 25 loss of tension from the heef, 0f the discharged invention accordingly gives particular attention gases passed thereby, p The exposed portions of to protection for the spring at this point and the the springs may be wound .into a tight coil if protecting means may form apart of the spring, enough of the spring can be housed in the keeper as an integral part thereof, or involve an indeportion of the valve assembly to provide the rependent member 0f Some Character. 30 quired spring action. Another arrangement is In the forms 0f the invention Shown in Figs- 1, to enclose the exposed portion of the spring in a 2, and 3. Spring S is of novel Construetion. The protecting sleeve or cup Still other forms inlower portion s in direct contact with valve V is volve the use of a plug or solid extension for the tightly Wound to aCt as a plunger and this tightlyspring for direct contact with the valve member. Wound portion spans the Space between keeper 35 Various housing arrangements for the springs B and Seat member A. The remaining portion 'are available, of the valve is of usual form with the coil loosely In order to illustrate the invention, concrete Wound for resiliency. Thus resiliency is not a. embodiments thereof are shown in the accomfunCtion 0f the part exposed to the heat 0f dis- 40 panying drawings, in which; charge and the resilient portion is suitably 40 Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional yView through e, housed Within the keeper B itself, or in a special valve assembly and indicates in broken outline housing. With the result that its temperature is the manner of mounting the same in a compreskept fairly constant due to dispersion of the sor cylinder; and heat by conduction and convection to the sur- Figs. 2 to 7 inclusive are fragmentary vertiea1 rounding metal of the keeper or housing member. 45 sectional views on an enlarged scale of valve as- The upper Coil 0r Coils of springs S maybe ensemblies illustrating modications of the invenlarged or expanded as indieated at Si in Fig. 1 tion. so as frictionally to engage the Walls of the keep- In the embodiments of the invention chosen er or housing member and remain in plaCe during for the purpose of illustration, various forms of assembly or disaSSemblY- 50 valve assemblies suitable for controlling the high In Fig. 1 the resilient portions of spring S are speed dischargeV of air and gas compressors arel entirely housed in the thick wall of keeper B. In shown, the forms differing from one another in Fig. 2 keeper B is a relatively thin plate with relatively minor respects as will presently apbores for spring S extending entirely therepear. In general land with special reference to through. The resilient portions of spring S 55 which extend beyond and above keeper B are enclosed in a heavy housing E which may be secured to keeper B in any suitable manner as by screws or bolts (not shovrni. Keeper B in Fig.

3 is similar to the keeper of Fig. 2 but springs S are individually enclosed in housings F mounted in the spring bores in keepe B. Housings F, as shown, are of thinl or sheet material with closed upper ends to serve as abutments for springs S and the lower portions have an outwardly turned retainer iiange f engaging the lower face of keeper B. In addition housings F may have axial extensions f terminating adjacent seat member A and serving as guide and positioning means for valves V.

In Fig. 4 seat member A and keeper member B are the same as in Fig. 1 but springs S are of the usual form being loosely coiled throughout their length. The lower portions of the spring which would normally be exposed to the discharge gases are enclosed in hollow or cup shaped members or plungers 8 which directly engage plate valves V.

In Fig. 5 springs S2 are of normal form but are much shorter than springs S shown in Fig. 4, so as to be conned wholly within the bores of keeper B, The thrust of springs S is transmitted to valves'V by interposed solid plungers 9 having reduced extensions 9a telescopingly engaged by the lower coils of spring S2.

In Fig. 6 the keeper unit comprises separate parts, namely a relatively thin keeper B with bores in line with valves V and a housing member G secured to each other .in any suitable or desired manner. Post or stud C of seat member A may extend through both as indicated on the drawings. The bores in housing G which receive springs S3 are of greater diameter than the aligned bores in keeper B. Plungers l0 are interposed between springs S3 and valves V and having heads Illa slidably received in the bores of housing G and reduced stems projecting through the bores in keeper B to contact with valves V. Heads 40a serve as limiting stops for plungers l0 so that when the keeper unit is assembled neither plungers ID nor springs S3 can be ejected or drop out of the unit.

Fig. 7 shows a construction in which a separate housing member is not required. Keeper B is of substantial thickness and the bores for the resilient means for valves V extend entirely therethrough. The bores are reduced at their lower ends to receive stem portions of plungers l I while enlarged heads Ha are slidably received in the large ends of the bores. Springs S4 are disposed above heads Ha and the outer ends of the bore are closed by plugs l2.

From the above it will be apparent that the invention is capable of expression in numerous forms or variations, that in each of the forms shown adequate provision is made for the protection of the springs from damage by heat, that the resilient portion of the spring is properly housed and that the effect of a solid plunger is secured in the zone of greater heat, namely in the space between the keeper and the seat member of the valve assembly.

While the invention has been herein disclosed in what are now considered to be preferred forms, it is to be understood that the invention is not, conned to the specic details thereof but covers all changes, modifications. and adaptations within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

l. A Valve assembly comprising a seat member` a plate or disk valve on said member. a keeper secured to said member over said valve and having a series of bores therethrough, springs extending through said bores for yieldingly maintaining said valve in contact with said member, and housing means for said springs mounted in said bores, said valve being movable relatively to said housing means.

2. A valve assembly comprising a seat member, a plate or disk valve on said member, a keeper secured to said member over said valve and having a series of bores therethrough, springs extending through said bores for yieldingly maintaining said valve in contact with said member, and housing members of sheet material in said bores over said springs and having laterally projecting portions engaging the lower face of said keeper.

3. A valve assembly comprising a seat member, a plate or disk valve on said member, a keeper secured to said member over said valve and having a series of bores therethrough,

springs extending through said bores for yieldingly maintaining` said Valve in contact with said member, housing members of sheet material in said bores over said springs and having laterally projecting portions engaging the lower face of said keeper, and axially extending portions terminating adjacent said seat member for guiding and positioning said valve.

4. A valve assembly for a compressor comprising a seat member having an opening therethrough for the passage oi' the compressed medium, a plate or disc valve engageable with the seat member and adapted to cover the opening for controlling the flow of compressed medium therethrough, a keeper member secured to the seat member above said valve, a housing carried by the keeper member, and means for yieldingly maintaining said valve in contact with the seat member, said means comprising a one-piece coiled wire having a resilient portion inside said housing and a tightly wound non-resilient portion completely spanning the space between the seat and keeper members, said tightly wound portion having a closed circumferential surface and thereby being unaffected by the heat received by it from the compressed medium.

LESTER L. COLLINS. 

